Legal Business
The Business of Law and the Future of Law: A Convergence
Lawyers are steeped in precedent. They love reusing past precedents, and this has extended to the practice of Law. Lawyers and law firms love the brick-and-mortar approach where exclusivity of technical knowledge, reliance on long experience and conservativeness of the profession is the bane and the leading mantra.
But things are changing. Two schools of thought are emerging: the ultra conservative older generation (perhaps?) of lawyers and the hungrier, savvier generation of lawyers who are willing to throw exclusivity of technical knowledge and the ultra conservativeness of the profession out of the proverbial window to be dashed to figurative pieces on the cobblestones.
Lawyers and law firms are descending into the battleground of marketing, strategy and market share equity gains over other firms, all of these things that were previously almost never talked about or whispered about in shocked whispers. And with good reason, too. Lawyers of the past saw the legal profession as just that: “the legal profession”. A new term has emerged: “the legal services industry”. I am an ardent supporter of the latter hypothesis.
Profession or Business?
The erstwhile boundaries between the legal services industry and other professional services has become a blur because of the speed and dynamism of business operations, the interdisciplinary nature and heft of professional services, and the incursion of alternative legal services providers-the ALSPs-into the core legal profession. We have the Big Four-the holy alliance of the leading Four professional services firms Deloitte, EY, PwC and KPMG-casting their sights and nets to the legal services industry as well. This goes to show that it is no longer business as usual.
“All this is emblematic of a changing legal industry- the by-product of the complexity and speed of business, shifting consumer needs, new skill-sets and elevated expectations of providers, and new buy dynamics. Law is morphing from a lawyer-centric guild to a customer-centric marketplace”, writes Mark A. Cohen, a law business analyst in a Forbes article.
Mr. Cohen couldn’t be more right. If the dynamics of law practice has shifted from lawyers to the consumers, with the attendant result that legal services consumers now have an array of choices of legal services providers- smaller law firm boutiques, alternative legal services providers, or even managed services providers- to meet their legal needs at their price points. This effectively means that Law has morphed from a profession strictu sensu to a Business.
Lawyers can knock themselves upside the head with figurative batons, law school curriculum designers can huff at this thought, but it does not change that shifting dynamic which keeps shifting: Law is a Business. The sooner lawyers get themselves married to this new fact, the better.
Static Law or Interdisciplinary Law?
As earlier pointed out, lawyers are steeped in precedents and are literally averse to change mechanisms. However, with the swiftly changing gears of the business world, lawyers now more than ever, need to become thriving chameleons, changing as the business world around them changes. The dynamics of this active change requires leading in law through the deeper understanding of the larger business stratum.
To illustrate, banks are no longer just banks; they are now technological companies that provide a suit of agile services including but not limited to financial services. Oil and gas firms are no longer plain oil & gas outfits but “Energy firms” so they can reflect the shifting dynamics of business and pivot from one end of the business spectrum to another if need be, at breathtaking speeds.
To further illustrate, consulting firms are no longer just plain business consulting firms but are now “full-service professional service firms”, one-stop shops for large suits of professional service work covering the entire business operations of clients, from process improvement to change management, employee engagement advisory, to tech adoption and digital transformation . . . literally anything that will help them solve their clients’ business problems and bring about active change without the need for these clients to look elsewhere for any of the myriad services they need.
For law firms, how about becoming “consultants” instead of just plain lawyers? In the former role, a lawyer takes an all-encompassing pivot into the client’s operations. Little wonder lawyers are taking courses in Tech, Strategy, Management, Business, Enterprise Risk Management, all in a bid to become “insider” assets to clients and provide the best services they can render. Consulting firms caught on long ago. The leading professional services firms have bright lawyers in their employ and these lawyers are pivoting into Tax, Business Analysis, et cetera.
“We are building capabilities to deliver seamlessly across borders as a truly global legal service provider. The innovative, technology enabled and integrated nature of our services will disrupt the legal market as a whole,” Piet Hein Meeter, Deloitte Global Leader points out.
Perhaps the consulting firms are getting the idea right about interdisciplinary services more than law firms. They seem to have a better grasp of the larger spectrum of professional services needed to better serve clients while lawyers- in many cases- restrict themselves to just the “reactive” type of services they provide rather than the “proactive” type of services needed to aggressively manage functions.
Branded Focus?
What do lawyers want? What do law firms want? How do lawyers feel they can best meet client needs? The legal services itself is in constant disruption. Law firms are consolidating their forces to present stronger focal alignments when bidding for top client work (Aelex, Primera Africa Legal, TNP with its acquisition of Adebiyi Tax & Legal comes to mind). Some legal commentators are suggesting a relaxation of the Rules of practice for legal practice so as to enable “multidisciplinary participation” in legal work.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter whether or not lawyers see the profession as a business or as a profession in the strictest sense of the word, but it bears noting that the legal services industry will keep changing. The Big Four are here, and they are offering what core legal services providers cannot guarantee: one stop shopping for professional services, including litigation support, mergers and legal advisory.
The breakneck speed of technological innovations has kept on propelling a forward push to tech adoption and alignment with professional services. As a profession, we have to move with the flow, or be overtaken and swept away. Law is a business and the future of the profession is hinged on a rethink of the practice models we are adopting.
Also Read: Erica Tavares: Passionate About A Greener, Better Future
Author: Kingsley Ugochukwu Ani is the head of digital media at Kabbiz, a law business development and law firm business analytics publication.
First published Kabbiz
Photo Credits: Tonkin Clacey Inc
In the complex and intricate world of law, where every case is a story waiting to be told, the wisdom passed down from seasoned legal professionals holds immeasurable value. Within the hallowed halls of law firms and legal institutions, an age-old tradition persists-one that transcends formal training and case law. It’s the tradition of fireside chats, where senior legal practitioners weave narratives of their experiences, trials, and triumphs, igniting the flames of inspiration in the hearts of their junior counterparts.
In these intimate gatherings, the rigid walls of hierarchy crumble, and the barriers between senior and junior practitioners’ dissolve. Here, amidst the flickering glow of the fire, stories untold-stories of courtroom battles won and lost, negotiations that sealed deals or unraveled, and ethical dilemmas faced with unwavering resolve. Through these stories, senior legal practitioners impart not just legal knowledge but invaluable lessons from the trenches of practice.
For junior practitioners, these fireside chats serve as a beacon of guidance, illuminating the path ahead with the collective wisdom of those who’ve walked it before. They chats provide insights that textbooks can’t convey, painting a vivid picture of the complexities and nuances of legal practice. From navigating tricky client interactions to finding creative solutions to legal challenges, the stories shared in these informal gatherings offer a treasure trove of practical advice.
Moreover, fireside chats help to build a sense of fellowship and community within the legal profession. They create spaces where junior practitioners feel seen, heard, and valued—not just as legal novices, but as aspiring storytellers in their own right. Through the exchange of anecdotes and experiences, bonds are forged, mentorship relationships blossom, and a culture of continuous learning thrives.
Most importantly, these chats have the power to shape the trajectory of junior practitioners’ careers. By exposing them to diverse perspectives and real-world scenarios, these informal gatherings expand their horizons, instilling in them the confidence to navigate the complexities of the legal landscape. They inspire them to dream bigger, reach higher, and aspire to leave their own indelible mark on the legal profession.
Photo Credits: Baker McKenzie
In a profession where the stakes are high, and the journey is fraught with challenges, storytelling becomes a guiding light—a compass that points towards excellence, integrity, and justice. The Advancing Women in the Workplace (AWW) program- a program to support women in leadership in South Africa adopted this approach of storytelling as a model. So, let us gather around, dear practitioners, and share our stories. For in the flicker of the flames lies the power to shape not just individual careers, but the future of the legal profession itself.
Acknowledgements
The AWW program, a program sponsored by Vance Centre in partnership with the South African Legal Fellows Network and the US mission.
Written by: Adaobi Adaobi Egboka and Dr Kim Lamont-Mbawuli. Africa Program Director, Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, Vance Center Consultant and Director of KLM attorneys.
Data privacy, defined by Tech target is a discipline intended to keep data safe against improper access, theft or loss. One of the triads of cybersecurity is confidentiality and this has to do with data privacy. The world has become a global village and data privacy issues are now more relevant than they ever were before.
In 2009, a popular brand in America had a serious breach of its systems. For 18 months, hackers had access to the brand’s data and were able to get customers credit card details and personally identifiable information undetected. How did this happen? and how can you make sure that this doesn’t happen to your organization? The answer is simple, you need to pay attention to data privacy. As long as your business collects personal identifiable information, your business has a duty to protect the confidentiality of the people who have given you that information.
Sometimes, the obligation to protect data is beyond a moral right. In Europe for example, you have the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), in America you have applicable laws like Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) which demand data privacy. In Nigeria, privacy rights draw from the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) (as amended) and can also be found in the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation, 2019.
All these laws show you that as a business owner, you are not only expected to protect data, you are under an obligation by law in some cases to protect certain types of data. The question is, how do you protect data and ensure that the privacy rights of your customers are respected?
- Employ a CISO: You should consider employing a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) if your organization is large, who would be in charge of formulating policies to protect data privacy as well as other valuable data in your organization. Actions like these can prevent competitors from getting valuable data from your company, ensure your company complies with relevant laws on data privacy and thus win customers’ confidence in your brand.
- Implement good information security policies and procedures: You would also need to create good policies on information security. Ensure documents with sensitive data on customers are password protected, ensure that firewalls and anti-malware software are installed to fight off malicious cyber-attacks aimed at stealing customer data and create trainings for staff handling sensitive data.
- Don’t collect data you don’t need: Where you don’t need to collect customer data, don’t do it. Only ask customers to give you the information relevant to the service you are providing for them.
- Don’t keep data longer than you need it: Where you don’t need data anymore, and no law requires that you keep it, destroy it. Where a customer has indicated that they want their account deleted, or they don’t want to share their data with your company anymore, ensure that the data is destroyed.
- Properly destroy data that is no longer useful to you: The same way you receive data through a process, you need to understand that destroying data is also a process. Data is not destroyed simply because you put it in the recycle bin and deleted it from the recycle bin. Ensure that data is properly destroyed when it’s no longer useful.
At the end of the day, data privacy is important for businesses in the world today. I hope these tips would help you choose to take steps to protect your customers data in every part of your business and ensure the data privacy rights of your customers are respected.
Article by: Morenike George-Taylor CDMP, County Support Director & Data Governance Expert
Tax image credit: Getty
The Kenyan Government, in its latest Finance Act 2022, has enacted some key changes in the area of direct tax, including an important update on the country-by-country (CbC) reporting threshold for multinational companies.
What is country-by-country reporting?
Corporates and connected persons, such as groups of companies and multinational entities (MNEs) usually face complex compliance risks. To address the potential gaps and mismatches in various tax systems globally, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) introduced Action 13 CbC reporting as part of its Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan. Under BEPS Action 13, MNEs are required to prepare a CbC report with aggregate data on the allocation of income, profit, taxes paid and economic activity amongst all the jurisdictions in which they operate. This report must be shared with the tax administrations in these jurisdictions, for use in high-level transfer pricing and BEPS risk assessments. Part of the solution provided by Action 13 is to require countries to adopt legislation dealing with the filing of CbC reports in their jurisdiction.
Finance Act 2022 updates of CbC
The Kenyan Government has introduced a threshold for CbC reporting with the effect from 1 January 2023. The threshold introduced in the Finance Act is for companies with gross revenues of KES 95 billion (EUR 790 million approximately) or more, including extraordinary and investment income. From 1 January 2023, a parent entity or a constituent entity of a MNE group that is tax resident in Kenya, and that has a gross turnover of over KES 95 billion, will be required to file a CbC report of its financial and economic activities in Kenya, as well as all other jurisdictions in which the MNE has a taxable presence.
The report must contain all information of the group’s aggregate revenue, profit or losses before tax, income tax paid, income tax accrued, accumulated earnings, number of employees, tangible and intangible assets, cash and cash equivalents and any other information as requested by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
Information to be contained in the master and local bundle.
The Finance Act requires a master file that must contain the following:
- A detailed overview of the group and the group’s growth engines.
- A description of the supply chain of the key products and services.
- The group’s research and development policy.
- A description of each constituent entity’s contribution to value creation.
- Information about intangible assets and the group intercompany agreements associated with them.
- Information on any transfer of intangible assets within the group during the tax period, including the identity of the constituent entities involved, the countries in which those intangible assets are registered and the consideration paid as part of the transfer.
- Information about financing activities of the group.
- The consolidated financial statements of the group.
- Tax rulings made in respect of the group.
- Any other information requested by the KRA.
The local file must contain:
- Details and information of the resident constituent activities within the multinational enterprise group.
- The management structure of the resident constituent entity.
- Business strategies, including structuring, description of the material-controlled transaction, the resident. constituent entity’s business and competitive environment.
- International transactions concluded by the resident constituent entity.
- Amounts received by the entity.
- Any other information requested.
Exceptions to the CbC report filing requirement
The Finance Act provides certain exceptions to the filing requirements for a resident constituent entity of an MNE group. If a non-resident surrogate parent entity already files a CbC report for the group with the tax authorities of its tax jurisdiction, the jurisdiction in which the non-resident surrogate parent entity is resident requires a CbC report in terms of its domestic legislation, under the following conditions:
- The tax authorities of the jurisdiction where the non-resident surrogate parent entity have an exchange of information agreement with the KRA.
- The tax authority in the jurisdiction where the non-resident surrogate parent is resident has not notified the KRA of a systematic failure.
- The non-resident parent entity has notified the competent authority in the jurisdiction of its tax residence and that the entity is the designated surrogate parent entity of the group.
Concluding remarks
The reporting requirements brought by the Finance Act 2022 are consistent with the OECD’s BEPS Action Plan 13 guidelines and the three-tiered documentation approach, which is relevant to the reporting of related-party transactions and aligns with the four minimum standards under the OECD’s BEPS project.
It is important for parent entities of MNEs operating in Kenya to note the additional compliance burden which is imposed by this new legislative update. Multinationals that would be affected by the new legislative update should review their current transfer pricing documentation and compliance processes to ensure that they are in line with the new reporting requirements under the Finance Act 2022, by 1 January 2023. Failure to comply with the CbC reporting requirements will be an offense in Kenya and subject to a fine not exceeding KES 1 million (EUR 8200 approximately), a prison term not exceeding three years, or both, upon conviction.
By: Francis Mayebe, Candidate Attorney, overseen by Virusha Subban, Partner and Head of the Tax Practice, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg
